Line, the Japan-based mega messaging app, said that it's giving its audience in eight countries access to a new product called "Line Call," a service that lets people dial landlines and cell phones from the application for a fee.
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Google just introduced Chromebox for meeting, a new integrated system that lets users easily arrange virtual meetings whether scheduled in Google Calendar or spontaneous. Based on Chrome OS, Chromebox for meeting is a dedicated enterprise/SMB virtual conferencing appliance that is designed to be much more affordable and easier to setup than existing solutions.
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The Federal Communications Commission unanimously voted to launch a series of trials to investigate how best to update the telephone system in the United States. The idea is to replace the system's traditional phone lines with networks that are based on Internet Protocol.
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Tom Wheeler is showing willingness to wade right into things as the new FCC chair, but there's one pot he doesn't have to stir. The telecom industry is already in hot debate over the Federal Communications Commission's plans to consider changing how voice services should be regulated in the IP era, an action that could have far reaching impact.
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Skype, the Microsoft-owned internet telephony service, is planning to kill its Desktop API (application programming interface), according to an email sent to developers by Chris Andrews, Head of Skype Developer Program.
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Cisco plans to open-source our H.264 codec, and to provide it as a binary module that can be downloaded for free from the Internet. Cisco will not pass on its MPEG LA licensing costs for this module, and based on the current licensing environment, this will effectively make H.264 free for use in WebRTC.
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Google confirmed that it has sold Motorola for $2.91 billion, consisting of $660 million in cash and $750 million in Lenovo shares, with the remaining $1.5 billion paid in the form of a three-year promissory note.
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Microsoft will acquire Nokia's devices and services unit and license the company's mapping services in a deal worth US$7.2 billion in a bid to bolster the company's position in the smartphone market.
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Sprint's Nextel platform lost more than 1 million subscribers, offsetting progress made by its core business. Sprint posted a loss of $1.32 billion, or 44 cents a share, compared with a year-ago loss of $1.3 billion, or 43 cents a share. Revenue, however, rose to $9 billion.
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